The Large Catechism – part 115
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Micah 4:2
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
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From the Confessions: The Large Catechism, The Ten Commandments
The Fourth Commandment
Honor your father and your mother, (that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.)
Learn first, then, what this commandment requires concerning honor to parents. We are to respect them and esteem them above all things as the most precious treasure on earth. Our words with them should be regulated, not speaking to them harshly, condescendingly, or defiantly. We should yield to them and be silent, even if they go too far. We must also make an effort to honor them with our actions and possessions. We are to serve, help, and provide for them when they are old, sick, infirm, or poor, and do all this not only gladly, but with humility and reverence, as if doing it in God’s sight. Those who properly regard their parents will not allow them to suffer want or hunger, but will place them above themselves and by their sides, and will share with them whatever they possess.
Pulling It Together: Feeling angry, arrogant, rebellious? Would you vent your frustrations on the Lord using insolent words? Of course not; you should not do so with your parents either because God has given them a place of honor next to himself. You should speak to your parents and care for them as you would God himself. This is not your natural way of doing things but it is God’s way. His word commands our respect, not only of himself but also of those whom he has put over us as his primary representatives to us on earth. They are his messengers for our good, and we should esteem them so. We are given this command in our early years so that we may begin to walk in the ways of the Lord, and learn to obey all of his commandments.
Prayer: Help me to learn your ways, Lord. Amen.
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Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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